Home Hero
Staying safe at work and home during wildfires
Monitor air quality, know workplace safety and emergency response protocols
With wildfires burning in the north and south of our state, here is some helpful information about air quality, worker safety, and supporting families in need.
Air quality
You can find the Air Quality Index in your area by entering your zip code in the EPA’s AirNow online calculator, which is also available as an app for your mobile device. Purpleair.com is also a useful resource run by a private company, offering hyper-local air quality monitoring in many areas.
You may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
AFT legal victory produces sweeping rule changes, and a year to apply
After years of pressure and lawsuits from AFT and other advocates, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced sweeping changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that will make it easier to qualify and easier to achieve forgiveness.
What to know about extreme heat, schools, outdoor work and activity
How to prevent heat illness and stay safe at work
During California’s extended heat wave, public agencies have issued additional guidance for schools and staying safe during outdoor activity, adding to already existing guidelines about preventing heat illness for workers.
Classified professionals move from “Aspiration to Action”
Conference gives front-line activists the tools to organize and lead during troubled times
First came the pandemic protocols. About 100 participants from 15 AFT locals across California had to test negative for COVID before entering the Council of Classified Employees conference area.
Then came the fireworks. “We need to march in the Capitol for the next Classified Appreciation Week. If they don’t want to recognize the work we do, we need to toot our own horn,” CCE President Carl Williams roared in his welcoming speech. Williams drilled down on “Aspiration to Action,” the conference theme.
Leadership Conference focuses on racial and social justice
Thurmond, Weingarten address delegates
About 200 CFT members from around the state converged at San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency for a Leadership Conference — the first time they’d been able to join together for such an event since the state shut down for COVID on March 13, 2020.
Seeming excited to see one another in person, attendees went to workshops, many dealing with racial and social justice issues, and heard from speakers including JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Organizer Cynthia Eaton, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and AFT President Randi Weingarten.